Was John Lennon gay? "No way," says Paul McCartney

Just gimme some truth
Just gimme some truth

John Lennon wasn't gay - so says Sir Paul McCartney and Yoko Ono, both of whom are flaming mad over claims made in a new book.

In John Lennon: The Life, respected Beatles biographer Philip Norman (author of Shout!), claims that Lennon fantasized about sleeping with his own mother and desired a gay relationship with Paul McCartney.

"I don't think [the gay claims] are true," says McCartney. "John never ever tried anything, I slept with him a million times. I've seen him on tour roaring drunk, out of his mind in the early days before he sobered up and went to rehab. Roaring drunk and it was always with a female."

McCartney adds: "If you've got a little gay tendency and you're roaring drunk I'd have caught him once."

Both McCartney and Ono initially approved the book, and even granted interviews. Not surprisingly, Ono has completely withdrawn her endorsement of the book, which is due out October 2008.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.